Fr. Browne returned to Summerhill College in 1983 where he served as Spiritual Director up to June 1986.

 
Fr. Browne has been the Diocesan Designated Person for Safeguarding Children since August 2008.
Bishop of Elphin Christopher Jones welcomed the announcement of the appointment of Fr. Browne as bishop. Bishop Jones said: “As a priest of the Diocese of Elphin, Father Browne’s ministry has been marked by his profound spirituality and his innate sense of pastoral outreach.
“Father Browne has always exhibited a particular strength and sensitivity when dealing with the vulnerable, marginalised and lonely in our community”.
He described him as a highly intelligent man and the most approachable of pastors. “I wish him all God’s blessings as he begins his new ministry as Bishop of Kerry”.

 
Fr. Browne said he was deeply honoured that Pope Francis had chosen him as Bishop of Kerry. On leaving the diocese of Elphin he said: “I want to pay tribute and to say thank you to all back in my own diocese of Elphin.  They have been my whole life and they have been very good to me. 
“It is not easy to suddenly depart from them.  I ask you all to pray for me and to pray for the Church in both dioceses, Kerry and Elphin”.

The post Pope appoints former Sligo priest as bishop appeared first on Sligo Weekender | Sligo News | Sligo Sport.

Nathan Carter with special guest Laura May Lenehan will play the Sligo Park Hotel on the 8th of May and ahead of this concert we met up with him to ask him some of the questions you submitted to our Facebook page!! Check out if your question appears!!

Q: Nathan, where would you bring a girl on a first date?

A: Em, I suppose probably out for a meal to a nice restaurant, I love my food!!

Q: What’s the nicest thing a fan as ever done for you?

A: I’m very lucky in that I have lots of loyal fans who are very good to me offering advice and giving me gifts, but I would have to say that the nicest thing a fan have done for me is showing up to our gigs, especially the one’s who attend gigs a few times a week regardless of where the gigs are, there is actually a group of girls from Sligo who are very good and have often travelled miles to my gigs, sometimes a few nights a week and that I would say is the nicest thing a fan or fans have done for me.

Q: Who is your biggest influences in the music industry?

A: I would have to say Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, and Michael Buble, I take inspiration from many artist but they would be the ones that would influence me the most.

Q: What is the strangest thing a fan has ever given you?

A: I get lots of gifts from fans from knickers to Easter eggs but I would say the strangest thing would be a fan recently gave me a box of Jelly boob sweets.

Q: Where is your favourite venue to play?

A: I would have to say the Millennium Forum in Derry, there’s always a great atmosphere at gigs there.

Q: What qualities do you look for in a girl?

A: Em what qualities do I look for in a girl, someone who is kind, with a nice personality and someone who gets on with my mum and my nan!

Q: If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you bring with you?

A: I’d bring my iPod, guitar and Galaxy chocolate.

Q: Do you ever get lonely being on the road so much?

A: No, not really I’m too busy to get lonely really, and I have the band for company too I’m never on my own to be honest really.

Q:What’s your favourite aftershave?

A: It was Chanel Bleu, but now it would be Mountblanc Legend.

Q: If you weren’t a singer what kind of job would you be doing?

A: I’d definitely be doing something in music, probably a music promoter but I’d need a PA or something because I’m so forgetful.

Q: What’s your all time favourite song?

A: I don’t really have one to be honest but I suppose if I had to choose it would be Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss, Whiskey Lullaby.

Q: What would embarrass you?

A: Em, compliments embarrass me, I never really know what to say to them, I know thank you obviously, but I feel quite awkward when people pay me compliments.

Q: What do you like to do in your spare time to relax and unwind?

A: Watch films, I love to watch films, Taken is a brilliant film.

Q: What’s your favorite One Direction song?

A: (Laugh’s) I don’t really have one, I’m not a huge follower of them but I suppose their first one “What makes you Beautiful” was good.

Q: What’s next for Nathan Carter?

A: We have a big concert tour coming up next year, we’re looking to do more concerts and new venues so that’s what’s next at the moment.

The post Nathan Carter Interview appeared first on Sligo Weekender | Sligo News | Sligo Sport.

SEARCH: A number of  Gardai on their way back to their vehicles after a Drugs Raid at Ard Na Mara, Cartron on Friday 19th April. Gardai, including members of the armed regional response unit, carried out searches of houses and their surroundings in Sligo town and Tubbercurry in the past week.

The post Garda searches in Sligo Town and Tubbercurry appeared first on Sligo Weekender | Sligo News | Sligo Sport.

With the recent dismal weather, the annual Daffodil Day collection day was not as successful as in previous years. So McHugh’s has come up with the novel idea of donating €1 from every meal sold from Monday April 29 to Saturday May 4 to the Irish Cancer Society.

The post McHugh’s helping Irish Cancer Society appeared first on Sligo Weekender | Sligo News | Sligo Sport.

He was an active member of the Students Union and the student body throughout his time at IT Sligo where he was a student on the Higher Certificate in Business course.
Luke, who lived in Ballisodare, Co Sligo, passed away in June 2012. The award was accepted by Anita Hurst, IT Sligo Student Union Education Officer and Paul Smith, IT Sligo Student Union Welfare Officer.
IT Sligo President, Professor Terri Scott, said:  The entire staff and student family at IT Sligo is thrilled that this award has been given posthumously to Luke.
ìHe was a dedicated student and a caring, loyal and loving friend. Luke was the embodiment of positivity and he truly touched the hearts of everyone at IT Sligo.

The post Posthumous honour for student Luke. appeared first on Sligo Weekender | Sligo News | Sligo Sport.

The health authority had been seeking another operator for the facility but have now announced that it will provide the service themselves.
The HSE has said to prepare for the transition it will activate a transition team to support the next necessary steps required to achieve a smooth transition for service users, their families/guardians and staff.
The HSE recognises that this period of transition and change is unsettling for people who use the services, their families and the staff who provide the services.
The health authority said that it wants to reassure clients and their families that they will continue to receive the services that they require and will work with the Daughters of Wisdom to ensure a smooth, seamless transition of the service for both service users and staff on the 1st July.
Sister Jean Quinn of the Daughters of Wisdom welcomed the HSE’s decision to take over the running of the facility and are confident it has the ability to meet the needs of the services users.
Sister Quinn says they will continue to co-operate fully with the HSE during the transition period to the new service arrangement.

The post HSE to take over running of Cregg House from July appeared first on Sligo Weekender | Sligo News | Sligo Sport.

Sligo County Council Cathaoirleach Veronica Cawley has accused the Troika of acting like loan sharks.

 
The situation has worsened. We may have got a small increase in General Purpose Allocation but since the new government took over we have got a big decrease. That’s not a [decimal] point but a serious decrease over the past number of years.
Fianna Fail councillor Patsy Barry said the reality now was that the Council were going to raise their own taxes.
What we have collected so far after a hard fight has been removed from the General Purpose Grant and that will continue.
Minister Phil Hogan said we are on sound footing, but I think we are on treacherous footing.
We will be dealing with our own taxes, but there will be nothing coming down from government.
We cannot say if it is going to bankers, but to think that this is a bonanza is a big mistake.
Sligo County Manager Hubert Kearns said there was a Cabinet decision that councils would keep 80% of the household tax within the county and the remaining 20% would go into a pool for poorer counties. Its a period of great uncertainty, he told councillors.

The post Troika as ruthless as loan sharks says Cathaoirleach appeared first on Sligo Weekender | Sligo News | Sligo Sport.

Concert tickets at €15 are available from the Hawk’s Well Theatre at 071-9161518.

The post Dinner and guitar recital at Markree appeared first on Sligo Weekender | Sligo News | Sligo Sport.

The post Sligo Field Club conference will take a look at Sligo families down through the centuries appeared first on Sligo Weekender | Sligo News | Sligo Sport.

A young man who died four times and was told he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, walked back into Sligo Regional Hospital last weekend to say thanks to the medics who revived him.
Matthew Hawksley was enjoying a good weekend with his colleagues from Grange firm SF Engineering in June 2011 when disaster struck. On the sunny Sunday he decided to go for a swim with his friends in Mullaghmore. He dived off the pier and crashed on to rocks in shallow water.
The impact seriously damaged his spine inducing a heart attack in the water.  He was pulled ashore and off-duty medical people resuscitated him while waiting for the ambulance. After frantic efforts they succeeded in getting his heart pumping again.  

 
In the ambulance on the way to Sligo, Matthew  had to be again resuscitated three times. He told the Sligo Weekender last week: I died four times that morning.î
That ill fated dive led to a seven month spell in hospital. By times the medical opinion was that if he lived he would be parlised from the neck down.
But the brave young man defied the odds. On Thursday last, 20 months after the accident, Matthew walked into Sligo Regional Hospital to thank the staff who had attended to him. He also visited the scene of the accident in Mullagmore, even though he has no memory of what happened to him there.

 
In those 20 months while recovering from the injuries he incurred in Mullaghmore, Matthew also had to contend with Pneumonia, MRSA and cancer.
Now that he has overcome all the illnesses, Matthew is fundraising for others who are suffering from spinal injuries and cancer.  The man who came back from the dead is taking part in a fundraising marathon next July.
*For the full story on Matthew’s
accident, recovery and his
thank you visit to Sligo Regional Hospital, turn to pages 8 and 9.

The post Doctors told me I’d never walk again appeared first on Sligo Weekender | Sligo News | Sligo Sport.

 
A full year charge will apply from 2014 onwards and the LPT is administered by the Revenue Commissioners.
She added that the Revenue Commissioners will take responsibility for the collection of outstanding 2012 Household Charges from July 1 2013.The receipts from the Household Charge in 2012 provided for the General-Purpose Grant allocation from the Local Government Fund for Sligo County Council and in 2012 the original allocation was €13,553,783. This was then reduced in July 2012 based on relative household charge compliance at that time. The General-Purpose Grant allocation from the Local Government Fund for 2013 is €13,584,307.

 
The Household Charge/Local Property Tax being the local government funding from 2012 onwards goes towards paying for essential local services, local roads, maintenance of water supplies, public parks, libraries, open spaces and leisure amenities, planning and development, fire and emergency services, maintenance and cleaning of streets and street lighting.
These facilities benefit everyone. The compliance rate for Household charge to date for Sligo is in excess of 78% and we wish to thank all of the house owners who have complied with making their payment.

The post Eight-in-ten have paid household charge appeared first on Sligo Weekender | Sligo News | Sligo Sport.

 
The review highly commends the level of safeguarding practice in the diocese across all seven standards, indicating that the reviewers were supplied with an impressive range of documentation.
Reacting to the review, Bishop Jones said  he welcomed the report and fully accepted the findings.
He said: Today, my immediate thoughts are with the survivors of child abuse everywhere and particularly within the Diocese of Elphin.
He said the abuse of children in any form is reprehensible and completely unacceptable. ìIt is a serious crime and a grave sin. It has caused incalculable damage to the lives of innocent children and their families.

 
Such abuse is even more grievous when it is perpetrated by individuals who hold a position of trust and even more so when these same individuals profess a gospel which speaks of love, justice and care for the most vulnerable in society.
To anyone who has been abused by clergy in the Diocese of Elphin and to their families and friends, I want to reiterate my sincere sorrow and regret that such crimes were perpetrated.
I am acutely aware that my words of apology fall shamefully short and are totally inadequate. Having personally met and listened to survivors of abuse who have recounted their harrowing experience, I am horrified at their pain and suffering and humbled by their bravery.
The bishop encouraged anyone who has suffered abuse as a child to report it to the Health Service Executive, An Garda SÌoch·na or the Diocese.

The post Review finds no convictions of Elphin clergy appeared first on Sligo Weekender | Sligo News | Sligo Sport.